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A pop up robot to print out and make. Fold the model flat and it pops up when released. Slip it into a greeting card as a delightful robo-surprise! Members can download the parts for free, non-members for £2.50
Print out the parts onto three sheets of thin cardboard, score along the dotted lines, cut out the holes then carefully cut out the pieces.
Make up the body by gluing the two hook pieces face to face making a square shaped tube,
Repeat the process with the head.
Glue the head and body together by joining the two grey areas together with the two small holes aligned. Fold the small tab through the hole and glue it to the back of the adjoining piece.
In each of the four box sides, glue together the two sides that are opposite the hooked tabs.
Fit a long thin elastic band over the hook in the head. Thread the elastic band through the small hole then fit the other end over the hook piece in the body.
Glue up the remaining sides to complete the head and body.
All the remaining parts are made from double thickness card. Glue them and fold them in half. Once the glue is dry carefully cut the piece out. Repeat this process for the arms, legs and antennae
The arms glue to the small semi-circles on the side of the body.
Complete the robot by gluing on the antennae and legs.
Fold the model flat, slip it into a greeting card and it will pop out when the card is opened.
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Here's what I learned today...
Symmetrical feet look like hooves.
Better?
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Pop up Robot prototype...
...and here it is squashed down and ready to pop!
The core of this project is the pop up mechanism from the previous post, inverted.
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Download, print out and make your own Android robot. This poseable robot is available for everyone to download for free.
The Android robot is the logo of Google's Android mobile device operating system.
This Android robot is modified from work created and shared by Google and used according to terms described in the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution License.
The project is poseable in three ways.
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| The legs bend back and forth. | The arms bend with two degrees of freedom |
The head rotates. |
Download the parts. Print out the pages onto four sheets of thin card (230 micron / 67lb) Score along the dotted and dashed lines. Carefully cut out the holes then cut out the pieces.
Roll round the shoulder tube so that the edge lines up with grey line arrowed in the top picture. Glue the tube down making sure that the edge is accurately lined up with the grey line along its full length.
Glue the two halves of the body together then thread the shoulder tube into place. Don't glue the shoulder tube yet.
Fold up and slick together the head.
Both antennae are made in the same way. Roll round the main body of the piece into a tight tube. Glue it into place.
Roll round the long tab and glue it down to complete the antennae
Fit the antennae up through the holes in the head and glue them into place.
The antennae in place.
Glue the neck plate to the head base so that the ends of the the tabs are lined up with the sides of the head base.
Glue the head base into the head as shown.
Fit the body top to the five tabs on the head so that it is free to rotate.
Glue the large disk to the tabs making sure that the head can rotate freely.
Glue the head to to the top of the body.
Fold over and glue down the leg support to make double thickness card. Once the glue is dry carefully cut out the hole and cut off the two curved sides as shown. Repeat this process with the other leg support.
Glue the two leg supports to the body base so that they are lined up with the edge of the hole and with the edges of the body base. Notice that the two tabs running across the hole in the base are folded up at ninety degrees. These add rigidity to the base.
Fold round and glue together the two legs to make rectangular boxes. Glue the leg joiner to one of the legs as shown here.
Glue the second leg into place. Make sure that the two legs are lined up with each other by standing them on a flat surface.
Fit the legs into the hole in the body base. Fit the tabs through the holes in the leg supports.
Fix the tabs with the medium circular disks. Make sure that the legs are free to move back and forth.
Fit the body base to the body. Make sure that the legs are facing the correct direction in relation to the shoulders.
Making the arm joints: Glue one of the long thin strips to the inner grey ring. Roll it round and glue it down.
The centre strip is the one that rotates. Don't glue it down. Line up the end of the strip with the step in the shoulder tube. Roll it round, then glue the end of the strip onto the strip itself making sure that it is free to rotate.
Secure the rotating ring with the final fixed ring.
Glue the tab strip to the centre rotating ring.
Thread the shoulder into place on the tabs. Glue the small circle to the tabs making sure that the shoulder is free to move up and down. Repeat this process on the other side.
Fold up and glue together the two arms.
One the glue is dry your Android robot is complete!
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Look out puny human! The paper robots are on the march. Download and make this paper robot and help destroy the world!
Nah. Don't panic, these are in fact friendly robots. Honest.
Print out the three pages of the robot onto thin card (230 micron / 67lb) Score along the dotted lines and cut out the holes before carefully cutting out the pieces.
Fold the arms in half and glue them down to make double thickness card. Once the glue is dry carefully cut out the parts.
Fold round and glue together the legs.
Join the legs with the leg top.
Fold round the and glue together the two legs lining up the edge of the leg with the leg top.
Glue one of the tabs of the legs outer to the top of the legs lining it up in the position shown.
Wrap the part round and glue it to the top of the legs.
Glue the leg guides into place. using the grey areas for alignment.
Fold round the tab at the end of the body parts to make a triangular end stop.
Glue the two body parts together.
Thread the legs down through the hole in the top of the body.
Thread the arms up through the arm holes and glue the tabs to the top of the legs as shown.
Glue the body top into place.
Glue the feet to the end of the legs.
Fold up and glue together the head.
Glue the head to the body. Complete the model by gluing the eyes into place.
"Make me, puny human, and I will destroy you all!"
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I've been thinking about a pose-able robot model for a while, it'll have bendy arms, mavable head, that sort of thing. I must have been thinking about it last night when I went to sleep because when I woke up this morning I had the claw all worked out. I know from experience that if I ignore these moments of lucidity they quickly evapourate so, just for today, I've set aside the escapement, my current main project, and spent the day putting together.... The Paper Claw!
I've made the file available for members to download for free in the usual place. Have fun!
Print the single parts sheet onto thin card. (230 micron / 230 gsm - is there a different US unit for thin card? I know how you like your imperial units) Score along the dotted lines and cut out the parts.
Fold up and glue together the main arm.
Assemble each of the three claw parts as shown above. Notice that the tab sticks out and the triangular section at the bottome is made from valley folds.
The three fingers completed.
Make the triangular based pyramid. This will be the arm end cap.
Fol round and glue the slider sleive.
Make up the handle as shown above.
Glue the tab on the first of the claws to the inside of the arm. Make sure that it is linied up accurately and is free to move back and forth.
Repeat the process for the other two fingers.
Fit the end cap into place. Make sure that you don't press it in too far as it's really tricky to get out. (I know, I tried it)
Thread the slider sleave over the arm.
Complete the prototype by gluing the long tabs to the triangular sections on the fingers.
That's it. Go out and take over the worls with your paper claw!
Back to the escapement for me; perhaps a coffee first :-)
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This Much Robot, press down on the head of this delightful paper robot and the arms open wide. "I love you this much!" The arms use a simple concertina mechanism to open and close.
Print out the parts onto thin card, follow the instructions and make your own "This Much" robot. This model was originally published on the Workshop Notes blog and is free for members to download. Non members can download the file for a small fee.
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Just finished a colour version of the Belt Powered Robot - Beltbot.
I've gone for a sort of steam-punk theme. Wood, brass and leather colours.
For the first time with a model I've mixed photoshop and illustrator in the parts layouts, this has given me the chance to add a wood effect as well as shadows and bevels.
I've completed the instructions photography so the completed model should be online soon.
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I've re-done the layout of the Moire pattern robot. I took photographs as I was making it and have put them together to make it into a quick and fun project.. There is a link at the bottom of this post for members to download the parts. What do you mean you're not a member?! Don't worry, you can sign up here.
You'll need the usual tools. Scissors, sharp knife a ruler and some PVA glue. Download the file at the end of this post. Print out the first two pages onto thin card and the third onto paper. Score along all the dotted line then cut out the parts carefully and accurately.
Fold round and make the core as shown above. The flap I'm holding above tucks inside and glues down like the one at the other end of the core. The end result is an oval shaped core.
Wrap the paper belt round the core and glue the end down onto the grey area on the belt. The belt should be free to move round the core but not too loose. Make sure no glue gets between the core
Glue the two legs into place on the side of the core. The top edge of the legs line up with the edge of the core. Move the belt round so that the join on the belt lines up with the edge of core. (Arrowed)
Spread a 10mm wide area of glue across the width of the belt as shown.
Line the top of the belt with the top of the body and press down the glued area only the inside back of the body. Make sure the core and the body are lined up.
Fold the body round the core and glue it together.
On each side of the body lift the two short tabs slightly. (Arrowed)
Pull the legs so that the two grey semi-circular glue pads are visible through the arm holes.
Glue the two arms into place on the core.
Complete the model by curving the eye shaft gently and gluing it to the back of the body then gluing on the feet.
Once the glue is dry pull the body up and down and the arms rise up and down whilst the moire pattern effect makes animated effect in the mouth.
I hope you enjoy this quick, fun project. Add colour, use coloured card to print out the parts or try making the robot with silvered card!
My plan is to take this core mechanism and use it within a fully coloured kit which I'll add to the shop - though of course it will be free for my marvellous members to download just as this project is.
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I'm experimenting with using a Moire interference pattern to make a model's mouth look like it is moving.
I've constructed a core - shown above, around which I've run a paper belt with angled stripes. The core is my usual brand of thin card whilst the belt is made of paper to keep it flexible.
The belt fits around the core slightly loosely and is free to move.
I fixed the back of the paper belt to the back of the body, now as the legs are pulled up and down relative to the body the belt will roll round the core.
I then wrapped the body round the core and glued it closed.
I've added eyes and arms to finish off the model. Now as the body moves up and down the mouth makes an interesting interference pattern! I'm going to try out a couple of different angles with the mouth and the stripes but should have a prototype for you to play with soon.
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